The invention described herein relates to an integrated control system for a plurality of communications services, and more particularly to a control system and method for intelligent, distributed, and dynamically integrated control of multiple communication services, possibly across multiple domains and possibly from a multiple communication services providers.
In the world of telecommunications, a party has a number of choices with regards to types of communication. These different types may include such services as synchronous communications, such as voice telephony, over networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or asynchronous communications, such as Instant Messaging, over networks such as the Internet. Emerging technologies, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) carry telephony over packet networks and present new types of communication service. A party may engage any number of communications service providers in order to employ these types of communications.
In employing the various communication services, via multiple service providers, existing communication networks, such as the PSTN and the Wireless/PCS (Personal Communication Service) Network, either provide very limited service control capabilities, or none at all. Traditional SSP (Service Switching Points) switches and AIN (Advanced Intelligent Network) SCPs (Service Control Points) do indeed have limited static service control with built-in simple management of multiple services. Typically called xe2x80x9cfeature management,xe2x80x9d (i.e., one aspect of service control) the logic that governs service prioritization, however, is statically defined and often even built into the processing system environment on the SSP or SCP. Neither support dynamic insertion (i.e., installation and activation) of new servicesxe2x80x94much less from multiple providers across multiple domainsxe2x80x94that is, services that were conceived and built after the service control logic was deployed. As such, plug xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 play of new services with intelligent service inter-working may not be possible.
Similarly, existing data and multimedia communications systems, such as the Internet-based networks or specific consumer video delivery systems, provide a predominantly single-application-to-single-service capability. Historically this relationship was very rigid, for example, an email application provided a capability to exchange emailxe2x80x94an email service; a file transfer application provided the capability to exchange filesxe2x80x94a file transfer service; and a web browser provided the capability to access web-page servers.
Currently, there is a trend to bundle multiple service capabilities into single (xe2x80x9cmultiservicexe2x80x9d) applications (e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer with Web Browser, Email and Net-News capabilities, or Netscape Navigator with similar capabilities, including Instant Messaging), however, these applications only integrate the user interface to multiple, disparate services with minor levels of integration between the individual services, e.g., a shared address book or web access direct from links contained in email messages. Also, these applications still exhibit the same restrictions as the PSTN, that is, there is limited, if any, capability to dynamically insert new services. In addition, most of the xe2x80x9cservice integrationxe2x80x9d is performed by software in the customer equipment/network, or in individual application servers, and not in the service provider network.
Finally, there is only very limited service interaction between traditional PSTN and current data/multimedia or other telecommunications environments, e.g., Wireless/PCS. Examples of these interactions would be services such as xe2x80x9cInternet Call Waitingxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cTV Caller IDxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cWireless Extensionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cClick-to-Dialxe2x80x9d web pages and emerging Internet Telephony to PSTN Gateway capabilities. Again, the ability to support dynamic insertion of new services in this combined environment is non-existent.
Similarly, existing feature management systems do not provide a method and system to integrate, or dynamically merge, profile information from multiple services, and or multiple providers. This includes everything from service configuration parameters and customer preferences to more complex lists with associated actions. For example, most people today use multiple devices (and services) that each have their own xe2x80x9cdirectoryxe2x80x9d of other people (e.g. address/phone book, screening list, hot-dial list, e-mail list, . . . ) where each entry might have one or more parameters or actions associated with it. The lack of an inter-service schema and method to merge these disparate profiles causes end-users to re-enter the same data for each service. In addition, each service presents a different user interface limited to the profile information it cares about, rather than an integrated interface across services and service providers.
Today, enhanced services augment basic call control through a predefined (static) set of events and messages. The Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) capability of the PSTN is an example of this wherein predefined triggers (events) generate predefined messages that are relayed to an adjunct processor (the SCP) to determine what action should occur. In turn, the static (compiled) feature manager in the SCP is only able to filter the predefined set of messages and based on its hard-coded logic initiate a specific service. It is not able to process events or messages defined by new services or new transport control capabilities. Therefore, service control is static, limited, and not extensible.
Further limitations of today""s feature managers exist in their proprietary service creation and execution environments. It is not easy, and in some cases not possible, to deploy services created by multiple service providers in a single service creation-execution environment. In addition, it is not possible to deploy those services across different domainsxe2x80x94for example, one within an ILEC (Incumbant Local Exchange Carrier) local network, another within a inter-exchange carrier network.
And finally, existing feature managers don""t work in a distinct functional layer of service control with open inter-operable interfaces between the feature manager and individual services, or between the feature manager and transport control (of transport, switching, routing, and transmission).
Beyond traditional SSPs and SCPs few other systems provide any kind of service control, including IP (Internet Protocol) application servers. Some emerging technologies may offer more in the way of static service registration and control, but these are based on predefined prioritization and processing rules. Given the static, limited, and closed capabilities of feature managers today, there exists a need to provide dynamic service integration and management.
As we look to the future, a multi-technology-infrastructure environment, consisting of legacy PSTN-AIN, Wireless/PCS Voice and Data, Voice over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (VoATM), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Gigabit Ethernet access, Consumer Video and a full set of Internet-based data and multimedia services will exist. This combined environment will be much more valuable with convergence toward an integrated multi-service environment providing dynamic service integration and management. In order to provide this guidance, an open and systematic architecture that integrates services with powerful services control functionality, capable of addressing these limitations and constraints is required.
Described herein is a system and method for providing integrated control of communications services which are provided by communications service providers. Included in the system may be an Integrated Service controller (ISC) which is in communication with at least one communications network, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or the Internet. The ISC is configured to receive from each communications service classification criteria which may include variable parameters which collectively define capabilities of that particular communications service.
The system may be configured such that classification criteria are dynamically communicated to the ISC through an interactive exchange of commands with the particular communications service. Also received is a Message Registration List (MRL) which registers messages which a particular communications service has notification interest in. The MRL may be dynamically communicated through an interactive exchange of messages between the communications service and the ISC at the time the communications service is initiated.
The ISC is further configured to provide centralized processing for messages and to apply intelligent prioritization rules for each message processed. This prioritization is performed such that delivery of a message to a communications service is controlled by at least one classification criteria. The intelligent prioritization rules may be dynamically configurable by a communications service provider so as to affect the prioritization of the communications service.
The system described herein may be configured such that an ISC is programmed to control the communications services for an individual person or a customer. Further, in providing this control, the ISC may be a child member within a group related to a parent ISC that manages a customer group of related individual persons or a group of related ISC groups. The ISC may be further configured to control communications services for a plurality of individual person customers.
The classification criteria provided to, and employed by the ISC, may comprise service classification, customer classification, customer service preference order, service provider policy, and/or a current state of one or more communications services monitored within the ISC. The service classification criteria may be established with the ISC through parameters set within the ISC from each communications service.
The classification criteria may further include a variable parameter that collectively defines the classification of a customer, such as platinum, gold, silver, and a bronze. This type of customer classification criteria may be maintained by the ISC or by an operations support customer care system and communicated to relevant ISCs through a command message exchange.
The ISC may be further configured to provide for a customer preference order which defines a customer""s service priority order preference. This preference may be indicated through use of a connectable user interface. Service provider policy""s may also be employed in performing the prioritization process. Still further the high-level state for a particular communications service may be monitored and accounted for in the prioritization process.
The MRL, which was discussed above, may be statically established with the ISC through a parameter set within the ISC for each of the communications services. The ISC may be configured to relay the MRL for the communications services to other system entities over the communications networks. The ISC may be further configured to receive an Event Registration List (ERL) which defines events which a communications service has notification interest in, and provide the ERL to appropriate system entities. These entities may include a Transportation Association Controller (TAC), Association State Manager (ASM), Message Broker (MB), and other ISCs.
The ISC may be still further configured to receive a profile of service-specific parameters established by a customer or service, wherein a profile may include variable entries for the communications service defining a service profile. This service profile may adhere to a profile schema predefined by the ISC which includes at least one master key field shared across the communications services and may further include a service-specific field unique to each of the communications services.
The entry values for the master key fields and the service-specific fields in the service profile may be dynamically communicated, through an interactive exchange of commands, between the ISC and the communications services. The ISC may further automatically merge shared master key fields of the service profile from each communications services and append corresponding service-specific fields from each communications service into a Merged Multi-Service Profile (MMSP). The MMSP may be viewed and edited through a user interface.
The profile schema may further define a visibility attribute which is settable by a communications service which provides at least one level of visibility and defines whether service-specific fields for said service are visible to other services when merged within an ISC.
The profile schema may further support a default entry for any number of service-specific fields which is established by a customer or the communications service. When this default entry is set, it establishes a default setting for the field whereby all other entries in the profile schema are established exceptions to this default entry.
The profile schema may still further support a child ISC modifiability attribute for one or more master key fields and the service-specific fields. This attribute may be set by a customer or a service, which when defined, establishes a default settings of modifiability for the field by other child ISCs related to the ISC.
One or more of the ISCs may be further configured to communicate with other ISCs to provide for inter-ISC integration. This may be performed within the same communications domain or across one or more communications domains. Specifically, one more ISC""s may be configured as a master ISC and another ISC may be configured as a remote ISC relative to the master ISC for a particular customer. The master ISC may be configured to control messaging and other capabilities for the remote ISC. The ISCs may be still further configured as peer ISCs, standalone ISCs within a hierarchy, or any number of combinations of master ISC, remote ISC, peer ISC, and/or standalone ISC.